Competing in the Crankworx “Deep Summer” Photo Challenge: A Photographer’s Journey
Riders and friends who dedicated their skills, Time and effort to creating something rad!
Participating in the Crankworx Deep Summer Photo Challenge this year was an incredible experience that pushed my creative limits and tested my endurance in ways I never anticipated. For those unfamiliar with the event, it’s a competition where six chosen photographers have 72 hours to conceptualize, photograph, ride through various locations, and create a slideshow that will be showcased in front of thousands at the Whistler Olympic Plaza. The thrill of being selected, the intensity of the competition, and the overwhelming support from the mountain biking community and friends made this an unforgettable journey.
The Excitement of Being Selected
Receiving the email that I had been chosen as one of the five definitive photographers was a surreal moment. The Crankworx Deep Summer Photo Challenge is renowned for its high standards and the talent it attracts. Being part of this event was both petrifying and exciting. The anticipation was palpable. I had a rough plan, knew the riders I wanted to include from my local community, and set about trying to get everything streamlined and in place well in advance before the shoot began. How naive I was!
A creative and unique photo that came about during the process of stress and sleep deprivation
The Countdown Begins: Planning and Preparation
With just 72 hours on the clock, meticulous planning was crucial. I began by brainstorming ideas and locations that would resonate with the Crankworx audience, aiming to stand out with unique and creative imagery. I wanted to capture not just the action and adrenaline of mountain biking, but also the raw beauty of the Sea to Sky’s landscapes and the fun times had with riders when out on the trail. I sketched out a rough storyboard, pinpointing key locations and envisioning the shots I wanted to capture.
The next step was assembling my team. Collaborating with riders who could bring my vision to life was essential. Fortunately, the mountain biking community is incredibly supportive, and I was able to connect with some amazing athletes who were just as excited about the project as I was.
Hitting the Trails: The Photography Adventure
The days of shooting were a whirlwind of activity. At 9 a.m. on a Friday, we gathered at the Hilton media center for the briefing on the competition, the dos and don’ts, and then we were off! We headed straight to Pemberton, where a big team shuttled to the top of the Paralaunch on the Mackenzie FSR, offering a stunning backdrop. I aimed to capture the variety of trails and terrains from Horseshoe Bay to Pemberton, showcasing the different riders, racers, free riders, coaches, and tricksters. We had it all and a mission to display the diversity in skills and surroundings.
Pemberton was where I left my first flash gun in a bush. There were plenty more items to be left on trails during the next 72 hours as my brain, under pressure, wasn’t cooperating as effectively as I had hoped. Photographing the riders in action was a rush. The speed, agility, and skill of these athletes were awe-inspiring. My goal was to freeze these split-second moments of brilliance – the perfectly styled jump, the dust flying from a sharp turn, the messing around, and interactions between friends on trails. The riders not only performed and provided input on what they believed would look best but also kept me fed and hydrated during the hot 30-degree-plus days. I was a man on a mission with the best team.
We moved from location to location, each area offering a unique challenge and a different perspective. The rocky descents, dense forests, open ridgelines, alpine descents, and urban features all provided diverse settings that kept the shooting dynamic and engaging. The riders’ enthusiasm and willingness to be patient and cooperative helped immensely.
The days were long and hot, glad to have friends around to offer rehydration immediately when requested
The Grind: Editing and Curating the Perfect Slideshow
After three days of non-stop shooting from dusk till dawn, it was time to shift gears and focus on editing. This was arguably the most challenging part of the process. With thousands of photos to sift through, I needed to curate a selection that told a compelling story, showcased the essence of Crankworx, and included imagery that would wow the attendees. The slideshow needed to flow seamlessly, blending the beauty of the environment with the intensity of the sport.
I spent countless hours in front of my laptop, tweaking colors, adjusting contrasts, and perfecting compositions. Each image had to stand out on its own while contributing to the overall narrative. Music selection played a crucial role in setting the tone and pacing of the slideshow. I experimented with various tracks until I found the perfect match that enhanced the visual experience – a bass-heavy, but catchy track. If not for the assistance of my wonderful fiancé, who helped with the slideshow aspect of the challenge, I don’t think this project would have come to fruition in time. I am a photographer and clueless when it comes to creating video content or slideshows, and I cannot express my deepest appreciation and love for her, giving up her weekend to assist me.
Showtime: Presenting at Whistler Olympic Plaza
The final day arrived, and with it, a mix of nerves and excitement. I awoke early Monday morning, editing and refining the images in a last-ditch attempt to create the vision I had when I set out. I blasted up Highway 99 towards Whistler and made the submission time amongst all the other weary-eyed and sleep-deprived photographers. Presenting my work at the Whistler Olympic Plaza in front of thousands was both exhilarating and intimidating. The plaza buzzed with energy as the crowd gathered, eager to see the results of our intense three-day endeavor. Up on stage we went, a big team diverse in age and riding disciplines. I tried to convey my true appreciation to everyone who had given their time to make this vision a reality. My name was on the slideshow, but it could never have happened without all the riders' cooperation and assistance.
As my slideshow played on the big screen, I felt a surge of pride and relief. The audience’s reactions – the gasps, cheers, and applause – were incredibly rewarding. Seeing my vision come to life and resonate with so many people was a validation of all the hard work and sleepless nights. As I looked around at my riders, it was so cool to see how much it meant to them.
Reflecting on the Experience
Competing in the Crankworx Deep Summer Photo Challenge 2024 was more than just a contest; it was a transformative experience. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, forced me to think creatively under pressure, and allowed me to collaborate with some of the most passionate and talented individuals in the mountain biking community.
The challenge taught me the importance of preparation, the value of teamwork, and the power of storytelling through photography. It was a reminder of why I fell in love with photography in the first place – the ability to capture and share moments that inspire and evoke emotion.
As I look back on the experience, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a prestigious event. The memories, friendships, and lessons from those intense 72 hours will stay with me for a lifetime. Competing in the Crankworx Deep Summer Photo Challenge was a rollercoaster of emotions, but it was a ride I would happily take again in a heartbeat.
A big shout out to the Kids, Big Kids and community members and businesses that helped with the project
FOR ALL PHOTOS AND IMAGES TAKEN DURING THIS PROJECT PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK TO THE DEEP SUMMER GALLERY
Sony a7iv Action Photography tips: The Complete Guide
The Ins and outs of what settings, features and tips/tricks you might need to take some great action photography.
Choosing the Right Lens:
Selecting the right lens is paramount in action photography as it profoundly influences the outcome of your shots. The lens you choose dictates the perspective, depth of field, and light-gathering capabilities, all of which are critical elements when capturing fast-paced moments. In action photography, where subjects are often in rapid motion, choosing a lens with a wide aperture is particularly crucial. A fast prime lens or a zoom lens with a wide aperture, such as the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM or Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS, allows more light to enter the camera, enabling faster shutter speeds. This is essential for freezing the motion of subjects, resulting in sharp and detailed images. Moreover, the focal length of the lens determines the composition and framing of your shots, providing the flexibility to zoom in on distant subjects or capture a broader view of the action. Therefore, investing time in selecting the right lens ensures that your camera is optimally equipped to handle the challenges posed by dynamic and fast-moving scenes, ultimately elevating the quality of your action photography.
Setting Up Auto Focus (AF):
Setting up autofocus (AF) correctly is pivotal for successful action photography, and the Sony A7 IV offers various options to cater to different shooting scenarios. The camera provides different AF modes, but for capturing dynamic movement, Continuous AF (AF-C) is the go-to choice. This mode continuously adjusts focus to track and follow your subject as it moves within the frame. Real-time Tracking is another invaluable feature, utilizing artificial intelligence to identify and maintain focus on your chosen subject, even if it momentarily moves out of the selected AF point. For more precise control, the AF Area settings allow you to customize the focus point, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your composition. Additionally, Manual Focus can be beneficial when shooting action involving scenarios where the camera will struggle to find a subject (Dark or challenging environments or subjects not standing out against the background) Set up the Camera to pre focus on where your subject intends to be for the desired photo and have a tripod to keep it steady, This is a great option to guarantee you don’t miss the shot! The versatility of these autofocus options empowers photographers to adapt to diverse action scenarios and ensures that their subjects remain consistently in focus throughout the dynamic moments they aim to capture.
Customizing Buttons and Function Menu:
Tailor your camera's controls to your shooting style by assigning specific functions to customizable buttons. Set quick access to essential features like ISO, aperture, and focus modes. This ensures that you can make swift adjustments without taking your eye off the viewfinder.
Optimizing Shutter Speed:
Optimizing shutter speed is a critical aspect of action photography, directly influencing how motion is captured in your images. The Sony A7 IV provides photographers with various ways to manipulate shutter speed to achieve desired effects and maintain sharpness in fast-paced scenarios.
Freezing Action with High Shutter Speeds: When photographing fast-moving subjects like athletes or wildlife, using a high shutter speed is essential to freeze the action. Shutter speeds of 1/500s or faster are often necessary to capture crisp and clear images without motion blur. High-speed Continuous Shooting mode can be employed to capture a sequence of shots, ensuring you catch the decisive moment.
Motion Blur with Slow Shutter Speeds: Conversely, intentionally using slow shutter speeds can convey a sense of motion and dynamism in your images. This technique is effective when photographing subjects like flowing water or moving vehicles. A slower shutter speed, such as 1/30s or even slower, can create a deliberate blur, adding a dynamic and artistic element to your shots.
Panning for Dynamic Shots: Panning involves tracking a moving subject with your camera while using a slower shutter speed. This technique allows the subject to remain relatively sharp while the background blurs, emphasizing a sense of speed and movement. Experiment with shutter speeds around 1/30s to 1/60s and practice smooth, controlled camera movements for optimal results.
Adapting to Available Light: In challenging lighting conditions, adjusting your shutter speed becomes crucial. When shooting in low-light situations, you may need to use slower shutter speeds, necessitating the use of a tripod to prevent camera shake. Conversely, in bright conditions, you can utilize faster shutter speeds to control exposure and prevent overexposure.
Shutter Priority (S) Mode for Control: To have direct control over shutter speed, use the Shutter Priority (S) mode on your camera. This mode allows you to set the desired shutter speed while the camera automatically adjusts the aperture for proper exposure. It is particularly useful when you want to prioritize specific motion-related effects in your shots.
Balancing Shutter Speed with Aperture and ISO: Achieving the ideal exposure involves balancing shutter speed with aperture and ISO settings. A wider aperture (lower f-number) allows more light to enter the lens, enabling faster shutter speeds. However, this also affects depth of field. Balancing these settings ensures that you maintain the right exposure while controlling motion.
Utilizing Burst Mode:
Burst mode on the Sony A7 IV is a game-changer for action photographers seeking to capture the perfect moment in a dynamic sequence. Burst mode, often referred to as Continuous Shooting (Hi), allows the camera to capture a rapid series of images with a single press and hold of the shutter button. This feature is especially advantageous when photographing fast-paced subjects like athletes, wildlife, or any scenario with unpredictable movement. The A7 IV's burst mode, with its impressive frames-per-second rate, ensures that you don't miss critical moments, enabling you to select the optimal frame from a sequence of shots. This burst capability is superior to single-shot mode, where timing is more challenging, and the risk of missing the decisive moment is higher. Burst mode not only increases the likelihood of capturing the perfect action shot but also provides more options for selecting the frame with the ideal composition, expression, or peak moment of motion. It offers a level of flexibility and precision that sets it apart, making it an indispensable tool for action photographers.
White Balance and Picture Profiles:
White balance and picture profiles play crucial roles in shaping the visual aesthetics and color accuracy of your photographs, especially in action photography with the Sony A7 IV. White balance refers to the camera's adjustment of colors to reproduce a neutral white under different lighting conditions. When shooting action in varied environments, selecting the appropriate white balance preset or manually setting the color temperature ensures accurate and realistic color representation. The A7 IV provides presets like daylight, cloudy, tungsten, and more, but it also allows custom white balance adjustments to fine-tune colors based on the specific lighting conditions. In addition to white balance, picture profiles on the Sony A7 IV offer a creative toolset to enhance or modify the overall look of your images. Experimenting with different profiles, such as Standard, Vivid, or Neutral, can dramatically impact contrast, saturation, and sharpness.
Metering and Exposure Compensation:
Choose a metering mode that suits your scene, Additionally, use exposure compensation to fine-tune exposure in challenging lighting situations, ensuring your subjects are properly exposed even in fast-paced scenarios
Multi Metering: Measures the balance of light over the entire screen for normal shooting. Multi-segment metering is particularly effective in scenes with even and consistent lighting, where you want the camera to consider various elements across the entire frame. This metering mode is versatile and well-suited for a wide range of shooting situations, providing a reliable and automated way to achieve well-exposed images without the need for manual adjustments.
Center Metering: Measures the light with emphasis placed on the centre area of the screen. In this mode, the camera assigns greater importance to the brightness values in the center of the composition, while still considering the surrounding areas to a lesser extent. This makes Center-weighted metering well-suited for scenarios where the primary subject is centrally located, such as portraits or situations where the key element is in the middle of the frame. Center-weighted metering is particularly useful when you want to prioritize the exposure of the central subject without being heavily influenced by the brightness or darkness of the background.
Spot Metering: Measures the Brightness in the chosen size of spot Circle. This mode is particularly useful when precise control over exposure is required for a specific subject or area in the scene. When using spot metering, the camera calculates the exposure based solely on the brightness values within the designated spot, ignoring the surrounding areas. This is advantageous in situations where there is a significant difference in brightness between the subject and the background, such as a backlit subject or a scene with strong contrasts. Photographers can use spot metering to ensure that a specific element in the frame receives the correct exposure, allowing for creative control over the overall tonal balance of the image.
Entire Screen avg: Measures the average brightness of the entire screen. This mode measures the average brightness of the entire screen ensuring stable exposure even if the composition or the position of the subject changes.
Highlight: Measures the brightness concentrating on the highlighted area of the screen. A mode optimal for shooting scenes with reduced over exposure. This mode measures brightness while emphasising the highlighted area on the screen. Many professionals use highlight metering to save bright areas such as skies and snow, which have a tendency to get ‘blown’ or overexposed, without data loss or additional re-touching in post.
Monitoring Action with the Viewfinder:
The Sony A7 IV's high-resolution EVF provides a real-time and detailed preview of the scene, allowing photographers to maintain an uninterrupted connection with their subject. Unlike an optical viewfinder, the EVF displays exposure settings, focusing points, and other critical information directly in the viewfinder, eliminating the need to divert attention to the camera's LCD screen. This feature proves invaluable when capturing fast-paced moments, as it enables precise framing, composition, and focus adjustments without taking one's eye off the action.The ability to review images in the EVF immediately after capture aids in quickly assessing the success of a shot and making necessary adjustments on the fly.
Post-Processing Workflow:
Engaging in a meticulous post-processing workflow is a crucial step in optimizing and refining your images, and it brings a myriad of benefits to your overall photography. The Sony A7 IV, with its high-resolution sensor and advanced features, captures a wealth of data in each shot. Post-processing allows you to unlock the full potential of this data, fine-tuning aspects such as exposure, contrast, color balance, and sharpness. Software tools like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One provide a comprehensive platform for organizing, editing, and enhancing your images. Benefits include the ability to correct exposure discrepancies, mitigate issues related to challenging lighting conditions, and accentuate specific details or colors to match your artistic vision. Moreover, post-processing allows for creative expression, enabling you to experiment with different styles, filters, and tonal adjustments to convey the mood or narrative you envision. It's a dynamic and iterative process that empowers photographers to refine their work, correct any imperfections, and ultimately deliver polished, professional-quality images for showcase. Whether it's subtle enhancements or transformative edits, post-processing is an indispensable tool for elevating your photography to the next level.
